Men's G Team Vs WEST WILTS C

Date

12 March 2016

Team

Men's G Team

Opposition

WEST WILTS C

Fixture

Away

Venue

WARMINSTER TC

Start time

12:30

Result

W 3 - 0

Time played

Normal time

Scorers

Nick Smith (2)

Match Report

In our final game of the season, Team Bath Buccs Gs travelled to Warminster to play West Wilts C. The last game is always significant, but even more so this year as a win would have meant the difference between finishing seventh and finishing fourth in the league. With only eleven players we had reason to be nervous, so we took it easy as the game began. However, after ten minutes of play, it became clear that we had the upper hand and we began to apply some pressure. The midfield were effective in marking the opposition out of the game, keeping the ball in their end, while those few balls that did get through were picked off by centre back Reuben Fisher. When we had the ball, we made use of space to move the ball around the pitch. Vincent Lewin in particular did well to repeatedly create opportunities. This action culminated in our first goal: a textbook transfer around the back, followed by a swift pass and run on the right wing leading to Jack Nicholls receiving the ball on the top of the D and firing a bouncer into the backboard. This was the peak of the half however, as thereafter we became lazier and became blocked into our own 25. We conceded a pair of shorts, but the runners and post-men both did their jobs and we dealt with the threat. It was enough to see us into the second half.

After the standard team talk, we perked up again going and corrected our mistakes of the first half. We began to look really dangerous in attack, and smart combinations by James Symons and Jack Nicholls in the middle of the pitch aided our progress. It wasn't long before we scored again, this time when Mark Whiteley lobbed the ball under-arm towards the back post, which Nick Smith promptly finished. Minutes later, the Mark-Nick combo struck again when Mark sent a cross along the back line, behind the keeper and onto Nick's waiting stick. Generally, this was an even better half than the first, and we had plenty off efforts on goal. There were some hiccups of course, but none were more heartbreaking than when Reuben Fisher hit the post, narrowly missing his last chance for a Buccs goal.

The 3-0 win was exactly what we were hoping from for this fixture, as it put us into a far more respectable position for the conclusion of the league. Man of the Match goes to Nick Smith, for his movements in the D and his positioning which earned him his goals.